Phelan Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Phelan last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Phelan last name
Meaning of the Phelan last name: wolf. Phelan is an Irish surname from Gaelic Ó Faoláin, from faol, "wolf". The O'Phelans ruled the Decies in Waterford before the Normans. This last name is common in Kilkenny, Waterford and Laois, and is the same name as Whelan. It spread to Newfoundland and America.
Arms associated with the Phelan name
Coats of arms associated with the Phelan surname follow Irish heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Phelan family history
This is only a glimpse of the Phelan story. The full Phelan history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Phelan coat of arms. Get the full Phelan report.
Phelan name FAQ
What does the Phelan name mean?
Wolf. Common variants include Whelan.
Where does the Phelan surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Phelan coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Phelan coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923).